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The Parents' Guide to Explaining Sex

The Parents' Guide to Explaining Sex

A simple step-by-step guide to explain sex without shame, stress, or overwhelm

Regular price $24.00 USD
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> Cringe-free conversations that align with your values

> Simple 5-step framework that grows with your child

> Honest, inclusive language – no awkward metaphors

> Helps you feel calm, prepared, and ready to begin

"Muuuum... how are babies made?"

You knew this day would come… but not mid-grocery shop while juggling bananas and a fussy toddler.

And now you're stuck.
Do you keep it simple? Mention eggs and sperm? Say something or brush it off?

The Parents’ Guide to Explaining Sex is your step-by-step shortcut to answering these questions calmly, clearly, and in a way that feels right for your family.

The gentle, age-appropriate sex ed guide you’ve been looking for

This 85-page illustrated PDF (plus mobile web app) walks you through five simple steps for explaining sex – so your child gets just the right amount of information, at just the right time. Created by sex educator and parent Cath Hakanson, it’s designed to take the stress and second-guessing out of these early conversations.

With this guide, you’ll:

  • Feel confident answering questions like “how are babies made?” and “did you do that to make me?”
  • Share accurate, values-aligned information without giving too much, too soon
  • Lay the foundation for a strong, open, shame-free relationship with your child

What’s inside:

  • 85-page downloadable PDF (plus mobile-friendly online version)
  • The 5 phases of explaining sex (tailored to age and curiosity)
  • 10 key things to know before you start
  • 20+ ideas for everyday conversations
  • Child-friendly illustrations (fertilisation, pregnancy, diverse baby-making)
  • Prompts, scripts, and reflection space to prepare your answers

Worried it’s too soon? Or too late?

This guide is designed for kids aged 3–9, but it's never too late to get the basics right. You don’t need to cover everything in one go – just start where your child is at. The 5-step approach means you can ease in, revisit later, and share information gradually as their curiosity grows.

Not sure if it’ll match your values? No worries – this guide offers options and language you can adapt to your beliefs and comfort level. Many faith-based, conservative, and homeschooling families use it with confidence

👇 Ready to feel prepared instead of panicked?

Grab The Parents’ Guide to Explaining Sex now and start your sex ed journey with clarity, warmth, and confidence.

 

You can find even more resources to help you start the conversation and teach sex education at home in the Sex Ed Shop!

Unsure if your child is ready to learn about sex? Find out in less than 2 minutes with our Parent Quiz!

This is a digital product. Nothing physical will ship.

Age

FAQ

Paperback

Delivery

Guarantee

Suitable for parents of children aged between 3 to 14 years.

What if my child isn’t asking questions yet?

That’s okay! This guide helps you start the conversation gently, even if your child hasn’t shown interest yet. It breaks sex down into 5 stages so you can share just enough – at the right time.

Will this fit our family values?

Yes. The guide gives you the facts in child-friendly language – and leaves space for you to add your own values and beliefs. It’s used by parents of many faiths, including Catholic, LDS, and Muslim families.

What if I get embarrassed – or say it wrong?

You’re not alone. The first chat can feel awkward, but this guide includes tips to help you stay calm, sound natural, and grow in confidence over time.

Is it too early? Or too late?

It’s never too early – or too late – to start. The sooner you’re prepared, the easier it is to respond calmly when the topic comes up. And if your child is older, this guide will help you catch up.

What if my child repeats what I say?

That can happen. But don’t worry – the guide shows you how to explain private topics in a way your child understands and respects your boundaries.

Is this guide inclusive?

Yes. The guide talks about “male bodies” and “female bodies” to describe physical changes – but it doesn’t assume gender identity. It’s designed to support all children and can be adapted to your child’s needs and your family’s values.

How does the web-based app work?

Once you buy the guide, you’ll get a link to a special website with all the content inside – no downloads needed. You can save it to your phone, tablet, or computer so it’s always easy to find when you need it.

How to save it depends on your device – but it’s usually as simple as tapping the three dots in your browser and choosing “Add to Home Screen” or “Bookmark.”

📱 TIP: Open the link on your phone or tablet, tap the menu (top right corner), and look for “Add to Home Screen.” If you’re not sure how, a quick Google search like "how to save a website to my home screen on [your device]" should do the trick.

Can I use this if my child is neurodivergent?

Yes. Many parents of autistic, ADHD, and other neurodivergent kids use this guide successfully.

Because it breaks sex down into 5 simple steps, you can go at your child’s pace – and stop when it’s enough. The clear, literal language avoids confusing metaphors, and the child-friendly illustrations support visual learners.

Plus, you’ll find prompts and conversation ideas to help you explain the why behind private behaviours and body rules – which can be especially important for neurodivergent kids who thrive on structure and logic.

Still have a question?

Just click the chat button in the bottom corner of your screen and ask away – I’m happy to help 😊

You can purchase a paperback copy of this book at Amazon or Lulu (a book printer with reasonable shipping).

You will not receive a physical product in the mail. Instead, you will receive access to a digital file, which you can print out or view on a screen.

This allows you to make as many copies as you'd like for your own family’s use.

30-day no hassle money back guarantee.

The success of my business depends on the happiness of my customers.

If you don’t feel like you’ve got enough value for the price you paid, I’ll give you your money back. No questions asked.

You have 30-days from the date of your purchase to request your refund.

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The Parents' Guide to Explaining Sex $24.00
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Customer Reviews

Based on 2 reviews
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C
C.D.
Great place to start!

Our daughter was very curious and was asking about pictures, this gave us a nice intro and gave her clear specific information appropriate to her age.

S
S.E.
What a relief!

This easy to use book is so helpful. It's sometimes hard to know what is age appropriate information or what to say on the spot. I find her examples so helpful in curating responses to other random questions but also how to incorporate in your every day life. It's not a one time conversation. Thank you Cath.

Trusted by 1,000,000s of families globally
Based on 64 reviews
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(57)
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Recommended.

Get started with the porn talk

Loved it!

Great information and specially, great explanation, thanks for walking with us in every step

Insighful and soooo helpful

Insighful and soooo helpful

A
Explaining Sexual Intercourse
A.
Perfect guide for talking to kids

This helped me so much when talking to my 6 year old who had lots of questions about how "babies get into a belly". This guide gives many different ways to speak about sex depending on your familes views and values. It gives you a way to speak about as many or as few details as you are comfortable with or that you think your kid is ready for. I appreciate how well written and thought out this was. I'll be using it in the future for more open talks with my children.

Thankyou Cath

As a practitioner working in this space, coming across this course for free and being able to share it with parents and staff, was just the cherry on top of visiting Cath's website. Thankyou for your accessible, compassionate and colourful approach!

A very useful course, thank you!

My daughter is 6 years old. Masturbation is a delicate subject and it is not easy to talk about it with friends or family, even with the doctor, because masturbation in young children triggers alarms and they think there may be abuse. So I thank you for this course, so well explained. My mother tongue is not English, but this course explains things clearly, in a simple and practical way, with tips and resources. With this course I understood that masturbation in young children is not so rare, I learnt how to deal with it and I felt understood and relieved knowing that there are more parents worried about this. Again, thank you.

wish i purchased this sooner

after a small incident with my 2 & 4 yr old, I purchased this course to learn how to approach teaching my kids about consent and to better understand what I should actually be concerned about. After this course, I purchased a few books that were recommended and will be having regular discussions with both my kids about body curiosity

Incredibly helpful resource

This is such essential reading, even if you do not think this is an issue for your kids in the moment, because it normalizes behaviors that to the untrained may seem problematic!

Just what I needed!

I was putting off the porn chat as I was worried about how I'd answer any questions! But now I don't have to, as it's in this book!

the reassurance I needed!

I've got a kid who is starting to ask lots of questions. This has been a lifesaver, as it's allowed me to answer their questions. But more importantly, it's shown me how to talk about these things in a way they understand

I love the illustrations

My kids are super curious about where babies come from, so I grabbed this to help me explain. The illustrations at the back are great, as I they helped me to explain. and answer their questions. Thank you!!!!!!!

Great product- non judgemental, friendly delivery

I recently purchased the getting started with sex ed course and was pleasantly surprised to find that instead of doing a big awkward talk like I feared, I’d already been doing a lot of the little conversations about bodies, feelings, consent etc with my kids. I liked how she broke the details into specific age/stages. Highly recommend!

Excellent information

Was very helpfull to oriented my daugther

Love it

What a great resource!

Worrying sexual behaviors

A great break down and understanding of sexual behaviors, both worrisome and age appropriate, by age. A great resource for someone who works with children and teens

Really helpful

Heaps of advice I'd never even thought about, super helpful!

Genitalia Learning Fun

A brilliant resource for students with intellectual disability and autism, who are also non verbal, to learn about parts of their body to keep them healthy and safe.

Great place to start!

Our daughter was very curious and was asking about pictures, this gave us a nice intro and gave her clear specific information appropriate to her age.

Good

Very informative, totally recommend

G.P. thank you for leaving a review and congratulations! As you are the winner of the $50 Amazon Gift Card for leaving a review last month! I have just emailed you!

Amazing info

This information is so valuable to all parents and educators. I wish we kids were born with this in hand. So so good.

Love that this book is electronic and I have access to it anywhere. It helps with conversations that tend to make people uncomfortable. Highly recommend

S
Explaining Sexual Intercourse
S.P.
100% recommend

Reading "explaining sexual intercourse" gave me the piece of mind and back up I needed, reinforcing what I knew and offering precious new knowledge, in order for me to feel more confident and as ready as possible for whenever the time comes for educating my child on the matter.

S.P. thank you for leaving a review and congratulations! As you are the winner of the $50 Amazon Gift Card for leaving a review in July! I have just emailed you!

Worrying Sexual Behaviours

Making it easier!

I absolutely love this. This has helped me talk to my young children about different body parts, it also opens up conversation about body types. Everyone is different and I want my kids to know that! I definitely plan to purchase more in the future to help me as my kids grow.